Basket-cover



(No Model.)

T. W. LANKFORD.

m Ml n W T} P BASKET COVER.

l/Qlitmemo STATES PATENT FFTQE.

BASKET-COVER.

$PECIFICATION' forming part of Letters Patent No. 395,708, dated January 8, 1889.

Application filed November 16, 1888. Serial No. 291,002. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, TILGHMAN "W. LANK- FORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pocomoke Git in the county of \Vorcester and State oi. Maryland, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Baskets and Crates, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in baskets and crates designed especially for transporting fruit; and it consists in the peculiar construction and combination of devices that will be more fully set forth hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a basket embodying my improvement, parts of the same being removed to illustrate the construction thereof. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the catch. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken through Fig. 1.

The basket comprises the circular bottom A, the upwardly-tlared side staves or strips, B, arranged at a slight distance apart to admit ot' the thorough ventilation of the basket, the binding-hoop secured on the lower ends of the staves or side strips, and the bindinghoop D, secured on the upper ends thereof. Arranged within the upper ends of the slaves or strips is a hoop, E,the upper edge of which is in a lower plane than the upper edge of the hoop l'), and thereby forming an annular recess in the upper edge of the basket.

An eye, 1 formed by doubling a piece of wire, is secured between the hoops E and D on one side of the basket, at its upper edge, by passing the arms of the wire downward between the said hoops, and then bending said arms upward on the exposed sides of the hoops and clinching their ends in the same. The eye F is arranged in line with the diam eter of the basket. A similar eye, G, is secured on the opposite edge of the basket, between the hoops D E, and is turned to a position at right angles to the eye F.

The lid or cover of the basket is composed of the crossed slats H audthe rim I, dependingtherefrom. The said rim is a single strip or loop of wood sprung to form a circle, and is beveled on its inner and outer sides, and the lower edge thereof is thereby adapted to fit snugly on the upper side of the hoop E and within the projecting upper edges of the side strips or staves. The said rim is of sufficient depth to raise the crossed slats a slight distance above the upper edge of the basket, and thereby prevent the same from coming in contact with the fruit when the basket is level full, and hence preventing the fruit from be coming compressed and bruised.

A hook, K, is formed of a piece of wire bent at right angles, having its long arm secured between the opposing sides of three of the slats H, and its shorter arm depending vertically from one side of the lid or cover and curved, and thereby adapted to engage the eye G and effect a hinged joint with the basket.

An eye, L, t'ormed by doubling a wire and securing its ends between the slats on the opposite side of the lid or cover.

M represents a catch, which is bent from a single piece of wireof suitable length. The said catch has spring-coils N, which engage the eye 'L, and has a vertical arm, 0, prow'ded with an eye, P, at its center, through which a tack or rivet, R, extends to secure the said arm firmly to the rim 1, and at, the lower end of the said arm is formed an eye, S. The spring-arm T of the catch has its lower end bent at an acute angle and doubled to form a hook, U, which is normally kept in engagement with the eye S by means of the springcoils N. 'hen the lid or cover is closed on the basket, the hook K having been previously engaged with the eye G, the hook U of the spring-catch may be snapped into the eyes F and S, and thereby secure the cover firmly on the basket, as will be readily understood.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. The combination of the basket having the inner and outer concentric hoops, D E, the eyes formed each of a single piece of wire doubled and having its arms passed between the hoops and clinched on the exposed sides thereof, and the lid or cover having the devices to engage the eyes, substantially as described.

2. The basket having the eye 11, in combination with the lid or cover having the catch M, the latter being formed of a single piece of wire and having the spring-coils N, the

arin O,With eye S, and the arm T, having the hook U to engage the eyes F and S, substantially as described.

3. The basket-lid having the depending 5 riin, the spring-catch M, having the eye S, and the hook U to engage the same, and provided, further, with the spring-coils N and the eye P, the tack or rivet R in the eye P and in the rim, and the eye L, engaging the spring-coils 10 N, substantially as described.

In testimony that I eiaiin the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

TILGHMAN \V. LANKFORD.

\Vitnesses:

JEROME B. HALL, LITTLETON F. HALL. 

